Alexander Zverev has questioned the security at the Australian Open after his match was halted by a pro-Palestine protest.
Zverev's fourth-round win over British No 1 Cameron Norrie was momentarily stopped as a fan threw sheets of paper and shouted 'free Palestine'.
The match was midway through the third set when the masked protester ran down the stairs of the stand at Margaret Court Arena.
Security wasn't on hand as she threw paper onto the court which read 'free Palestine' and 'war crimes and genocide', in reference to the Israel-Hamas war.
There was a protest at the Australian Open on Monday
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Zverev and Norrie returned to their chairs as the protest continued.
It took another member of the crowd to stop the protester and lead her back up the stairs.
There were loud cheers from the fans in attendance when she was escorted from the arena.
Ball kids cleaned up the mess before the match resumed.
But Zverev has questioned why security were not at the scene quicker.
The German claims security is at an extreme level in the players' area but not so when it is needed the most.
Zverev said: "That was a little bit surprising because the security here, I mean, on-site where the players' area is, is extremely strict.
"Even today, I played obviously five sets, four hours, some minutes.
"I went to the locker room, and the gym area is right next to the locker room.
"They wouldn't let me into the gym because I forgot my credential in the locker room.
"What are you doing? You're protecting players from players.
"That's not really the whole point. Something like this happens and it takes three, four minutes for somebody to show up.
"I think that should be the opposite. It should be where it's already the quarter-finals and you know the players.
"Especially there's obviously screens and TVs everywhere in front of all the security guys, if you've seen somebody play for four and a half hours, it's okay to go stretching in the gym, even if you forgot your credential.
"That's not sounding arrogant. I understand they're all doing their job.
"But I think when something like this happens, it shouldn't be another fan dragging the other person out.
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Ball kids cleaned up the pieces of paper on court
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"It should be the security guys that should be there quite quickly. It shouldn't take them three, four minutes, that long."
A statement from Police Victoria confirmed there were a few incidents of paper being thrown on tournament grounds on Monday but no offences were found.
The statement read: "Officers were told a small group of people were throwing pamphlets onto Kia and Margaret courts about 6.30pm.
"It is understood the pamphlets were also scattered on the ground at the entrance of Garden Square.
"Police detained a 35-year-old woman and a 36-year-old woman to obtain their details.
A supporter in the crowd took matters into his own hands at the Australian Open
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"The duo were given a direction to leave the event. No offences were detected during the incident."
Zverev won a five-set thriller to knock out Norrie, claiming the fifth set on a tie-break.
On the protest, Norrie said: "Obviously we're both aware. We had to stop the match for a few moments.
"I didn't feel threatened or anything. It is what it is. Those things happen nowadays.
"I think there were a couple of fans that actually helped out. But yeah, I don't think anyone felt threatened or anything."
